Thanks for the heads up on the dollar Kindle version. Looking forward to reading it. I wish people in ebiking were more attuned to products like this DC-DC converter. Around Christmas Amazon had the Drok version for $10, and I bought a couple more. They were scratched, but seem to work. The deal is that this (type) module is the Swiss army knife of lithium batteries, and it's a core DC component. Sure, if you want to buy a $300 charger that does a lot of things, go ahead. But this is cheap and can be adapted. Want to charge to 90%? Just set the voltage to around 4.05 per cell. The only thing I recommend is a timer, maybe a wind up type timer, to end the charging. This module can't sense the drop in current flow that means, under the standard protocol, the charging should end. But hey, with solar, the sun goes down. Folks need to pay attention with manual charging. People need to forget the lead acid rules. There's no bulk, and there's no maintenance charge. The charge will be at one fixed voltage, and the current will have to be limited in many cases. The voltage rises to the fixed voltage. Lithium is efficient charging, as efficient as the module conversion. Get people into the basics and things can be refined later.
Thanks for getting into Solar! Looking forward to more education and inspiration!!! this was exactly the 'next' direction for me after finishing my e-bike (which I use on good weather days to commute to work 10 miles each way).
Looking forward to incorporating something similar to my trike. Take a look at Log Notching's videos here to see the type canopy I intend to use as a base for the solar panel. Great timing on the book, and subject matter. I am about done reading your second book. I have found both books helpful and informative. Will be ordering the third book today. Congrats on finishing the third book.
You're going the way that I want to go :) it's great to find people doing the things that inspire you to go on. I've been a follower for a good while now, and this latest book release settled my decision. Im going to buy all your books. Thanks so much Micah.
So I could use this same idea with a 20w solar panel to trickle charge my bike as I ride around? Also, could this be used on factory batteries? I.e. a radpower battery? Or does the bms in that battery pack make this impossible
Yeeeaahhh... high expectations on the DIY Solar Power book, I just bought one =] I have 3 copies of the DIY Lithium Batteries book, great content, I am always lending to friends and they end up buying their own book, awesome content and reference material even for experienced builders. I am glad to be your friend hahaha.. so much Solar POWEEEEEERR ohh yeaahh =]
Your new book looks great, I can recommend this book to a lot of people and it will save me a lot of time explaining solar. I will check it out, Thanks
Take the watts and time of your mains charger and compare it to the watts you are getting from the solar. My charge station takes 4 hours for 60v (67.2v) battery ruclips.net/video/VjnYeoK6wCo/видео.html
love your channel I cam by it after deciding to take on an insane task of building my family each their own recumbent e-bikes with campers and to start planning a trip from MI to CA. we are hoping to have everything built this year and spend a year doing smaller trips and finding and fixing problems in our system before doing the long trip in summer of 2020
Mad sciencetist like Jhugarcia are cool to follow and see the cool stuff they build But i have to say with they mis clear guidance to rebuild These things but safe !!! I loved the first baterry book as this guided me to build safe powerpacks Just ordered the lastest book solar power to take it to the next step !!!!Thanks So if i would win i would love to complete the series with The Ultimate DIY Ebike Guide
So I have a ebike 36 volt 10.4ah battery I have a 415 km ride I'm doing this summer been looking for daysa way to charge my battery u helped me out so much u would not believe it thank u
Love to see that people like you encourage other people self sufficiency in solar energy I have a family bike need to learn a bit to charge our bike battery 👍🏻🙏🏼
My 390 watt mono PV panel with 400 watt step up boost MPPT controller gives me on sunniest days 65.5v (My 60v cut off as I like to charge to 95%) at 5.5A so about 30W lost through the wires and electronics. That's on the strongest sunlight around 1230pm with no clouds.
And it is a slower charge than the stock charger which is a bit too much amperage in my opinion at 10A. Better for the expensive battery to charge slower with solar when not in a rush, or just to top up after shorter rides. I stay in the 20% to 95% most of the time except when I plan a longer 80km ride somewhere.
Thanks I'm going to do this. I'm currently building a power station powered by my bike battery. Ive had some trial and error. I would love to see a video on how to do this the best way.
You forgot to mention that the DC/DC converter need a stable input or otherwise if you set output current to high the input voltage will sag = you will loose power from the solar panel due to that the normal DC/DC converters does not know about the optimal tracking point! Thats one of the reason the MPPT chargers are alot smarter than the cheaper DC/DC converters. Important to know if you want to be able to utilize all from ther solar panel or if your ok with loosing 50% or more ;) You should build a bike trolly and have the panel on :P
I totally agree. A suitable MPPT-boost-converter can be bought from China for 35-40 US$. And yes, I was looking at a solar panel for my bike-trailer, but I considered 100 Wp is still too low for me and I do not have the space to install a bigger panel.
Yes an MPPT converter is definitely more efficient, but at twice the price and the small amount of electricity we're talking about, it could be many years before you actually make the difference in cost back. But it does make the charging go faster, so it just depends which is more important to each user, charging time or cost. The answer is different for everyone.
You could do with a smaller solar cell which will save you more than the extra 15-20 bucks you spend on the MPPT-converter. Smaller also means lighter and easier to carry with you. If you do your maths correctly it is always a question between time and cost, you should however compare systems that deliver the same power overall. More powerful systems are always more expensive.
Love your videos! I purchaces a E bike 2 months ago a M2S R750 fat bike with a 750 watt geared hub rear motor and a 48 volt 16 AH battery. I loved it so much that I just signed a 3 year lease on a Honda PHEV Clarity for half of what I was spending on my gas guzzling MB C300 4matic which was getting about 25mpg on 93 octain! You are a great inspiration! Keep up the good work. Ultimately I want to set up solar panels to offset my higher electricity use and drive on Sun power!!
I enjoyed your battery book and always find your videos informative. I have a 300w 42v solar panel I'd like to charge my 36v lith battery with. Not clear about DC to DC vs. MPPT chargers. When I was wanting to use it to charge my 48v trike I contacted Genasun and they quoted me on a boost controller but it was very pricey. My wife's bike is 36v and I have a trolling motor that is 36v so I'm wanting to maybe convert my trike to 36v to have the greatest flexibility. But it seems I need to down convert my 42v solar panel [at least some of the time] to charge 36v batteries. Maybe you cover such in your book, but I don't have that one. [yet] Thanks
This is exactly the solution I'm looking for I wonder do they make these that you can buy already made for e-bikes? I just ordered another battery I can probably go 60 miles but if you had a fold-up panel and this for my ebike it would be amazing. I need to learn how to make one of these I know how to solder I took basic electrical house wiring. I like that triangle bag I bought one but it was only 12 in LOL no wonder it was so cheap. To carry things in the middle would keep your weight even. What is the longest distance anybody ever has traveled on a ebike? I would like to go further. it is so much fun riding the e-bike especially when you can't afford insurance and a license
Awesome news! Just finished going through your DIY battery book! You'll be getting a shout out in my next build project series on my channel, be my first large 100% electric power project.
HEY YOU 2 THAT DONT LIKE THIS, CAN YOU TELL ME WHY PLEASE ? Thanks again, I'm up to no good and you have helped me again ;) Question. I'm about to make a 5000w rear hub. When should we add a circuit breaker to a ebike and where is best place for it to go ???? new book from Amazon tomorrow, DIY LITHIUM BATTERIES on Amazon and eBay, DIY EBIKE book on eBay not Amazon. Paper back copy's........... From Melbourne Australia.
For $1 it would be dumb not to get the book! Your first two books have already been very helpful to me. I'm looking forward to reading this latest one! :)
Hey man. I have the same dcdc converter. Its right now mounted on my bike with a power supply. Just plug in a solar panel direct to the converter and im good to go. Awesome video dude.
Does a BMS allow you to charge via the charging cable while simultaneously drawing a load from the output wires. It would be pretty awesome if you had a cargo trailer with a solar panel lid that would charge as you ride.
Hi Micah or anyone else. I bought one of these units with the intention of charging my 48 volt ebike batteries. I have the output voltage set at 54.60 volts and 2.00 amps. My input voltage is 21.1 volts coming in from a 100 watt solar panel. No matter what I do the unit will not put more than 50 volts into a battery so I can never get my battery fully charged with this. Does anyone else have this problem and are there any suggestions? Many thanks for any reply!
Thanks, great video. The cabin in my RV is currently powered by lead acid batteries (4 6-volt golfcart batteries) but I'm considering switching to 36 volt (aka 42 volt) ebike battery packs. I currently have 3 300-watt panels, works great with my existing batteries but they're coming on 6 years old. Do you think this setup would work well for that scenario? Maybe one of these chargers per battery pack? If so, any suggestion on what current I should set it to? My wall wort charger is 2 amps / 42 volts.
@@ebikecnx7239 mppt are step down, no? Meaning your panel voltage should be higher than your battery voltage? A lot has changed since I wrote the above question though, these days I love lithium iron phosphate batteries for RVs. They last a lot longer and don't have the risk of fire, which is a biggie in an RV.
@@wrybread depends what the panel voltage is...my battery is a 60v Sur Ron (67.2v) and the single panel VOC was around 40V so I used a Elejoy 400W step up boost MPPT controller. Remembering to keep the panel watts below the 400W limit of the MPPT. If you have smaller panels in series say 3 80W panels with 20V outputs then the series would give say 60V and if your battery was say 48V then, yes, in that case use a step down MPPT controller. Elejoy, who I like right now, make both step up and step down. They are very well made and have a heat sink case.
Maybe a stupid question, but don't e-bike batteries have an BMS? Do you connect your charge controller directly to the charge port of your e-bike battery? Or do you just connect to the wires comming out of the e-bike battery?
You can actually do all of this by simply using jumper cables, and your battery, and a tree simply put the negative wire into a pole on the ground then put the positive wire as high as you want. Let’s say 8 feet above the ground and you’ll be able to charge your batteries in no matter what size and probably less than 30 minutesand yes, this means you can technically also do the same thing with a Tesla. If you don’t have a fast charger, you can always use trees.
looking at the size of that solar panel with inefficiences might take from 4 to 5 sunny days to charge a 500 watt Ebike batt, assuming sunny all day long,
The problem is that the step up converter will not efficiently convert solar power to charge the battery. Solar panels are expensive and too costly to use the voltage converter you suggest. The more efficient and more cost-effective approach is to use a Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) which is designed to charge the voltage of your lithium battery pack.
Yea a MPPT would be more efficient, but at these low power levels, it would take a ton of charges to make up the extra cost of a MPPT unit. But you're right, you can charge faster with an MPPT charge controller.
A suitable MPPT-converter will cost 35-40 US$ when ordered from China. Even more: for a bike size and weight of the solar panel make all the difference.
@@TemplarX2 not necessarily true, the MPPT electronics are pretty simple and the eBike step up boost MPPT controllers now available for ebikes are around that price.
I'm new on DIY solar and really liked your follow up of the subject, crazy you can do all of that harvesting solar energy. Awesome project!!! Though would like to know if it's possible to have a smaller panel?
Great video. I have been wondering about those DC to DC converter. Thanks for clearing up my questions. I always said that someone should make a bracket that covers the rider and gives him shade from the sun and at the same time be a solar panel and charge your batteries as you go. I think for long rides or cross country riders, that would be nice, but I wonder how far it would extend your range? Also, can it charge your battery while you're riding? I wish I had your new book about 20 years ago when I did my home set up. I went with a 3,000 watt wind gen on an 84 foot tower with a Trace SW 5548 inverter. I really wish I had gone solar instead, but I have now in my new home. I learned A LOT of lessons my first go around. I also bought nickel iron batteries and will NEVER buy lead acid again. I do have a JD 125kw diesel back up gen set and 10,000 gallons of PRI-D treated fuel, if some thing long term should happen, and the family and I are glad we have this new set up now. I also have the diesel gen set, set up so it heats domestic hot water as well. I just could not see having all that engine heat going to waste. I'm even considering using a water to air heat ex-changer to dry clothes. A friend of mine does this with his outdoor wood boiler, and it works great and all he needs is a small amount of electricity to run the motor in the dryer. Anyway, keep up the great work.
You will need a big heavy frame and panel. My panel is 390w and is roughly 2m by 1m. The flexible panels never work for very long as they often break by 6 months to a year, so it's hard to do a mobile charger unless you tour from a van with roof panels and a good step up boost MPPT controller.
Hey Micha, I really enjoy your videos. Congratulations on the publication of your new book! Would you answer a question for me? Besides commuting (in warmer weather) I also enjoy going out for day-long or multi day rides. The furthest distance I pressed my battery to was on a 30 mile ride at pedal assist 1. I'd like to increase my range to at least 60 miles but I'm aware that I will have to purchase and use another battery to do so especially since I won't necessarily have enough time to charge fully while on the road. The cost of a new identical replacement is prohibitive, so I've been looking at purchasing another battery to complement the one I have. Presently I have a 48v 13ah, tube mounted battery with a 350 volt rear-drive motor. I've seen water bottle batteries that look intriguing, but don't know what I should look for or how to connect the battery to my present system. I'd like to get a battery that could boost my distance another 30 miles. Have you done a video that relates to this issue? Thanks in advance. John Szurek Minnesota
There is a fan on the converter which likely means that it will build up too much heat if you put it into a case that is waterproof or in your waterproof panniers. Does that mean that you can't ride when it rains with this setup? Also, what is the practical negative consequence of not having that cc-cd feature? Because in the same amazon link, there are also non cc-cd versions that do not have a fan....
So if I am understanding this correctly, this step up converter works like a charge controller, in that it adjusts the current to best charge for the battery-- you just have to set it at the end goal voltage. I have a cheap solar charge controller than I use to charge up and desulfate my lead acid car batteries, and it pumps one volt higher than whatever charge the lead acid battery is holding at the time. Would this work something like that? I may have to watch that segment again. ( approx: 1:12- 2:00). Or buy the booster and test it!
Hi and thank you very much for your videos. How do i chose the right solar panel ?i want to charge a 36 volt 20Ah battery. i understand the voltage but what about the Amp out of the solar panel?i see there are several different 100W solar panels. do i need to match the amps of my grid charger?
Great video! I have already installed 2 X 130W solar panels to my motor home so have an abundance of power - in theory, I should be able to connect this DC -DC converter to my motor home leisure battery to charge my 13S 5P 48V Lithium e-bike batteries. This would entail making a fused connection to the device input terminals and setting up for a 12.7V input, then connecting a lead with XLR connector to connect to my e-bike battery with output set at 54.6V and current limited to 3A. Am I missing something or is this correct. I am a keen DIY'er but certainly not an electronics expert. Would be really pleased to hear the views of those in the know.
This is cool. I’m not smart on electricity/power requirements, but could this be used to charge multiple like scooters at once? I’m looking at charging 6-10 at once while at work in my truck. Thanks!
I have a question? The question is.... would it be faster to charge an e-bike with a hundred and twenty volt converter? Like a jackery or something way lighter? I want to go on an adventure I have three batteries which equal out to 60 miles or more if I go slow it is hard to Pedal with one leg but I'm going to. I really need one of these to fulfill my crazy dream of riding the Erie Canal Trail 500 Mi to New York City
They came up with a new word for people on e-bikes it is called range anxiety well if you can p e d a l it wouldn't be that bad but right now I'm just getting used to my fake leg so I can barely pedal. I have an ecotric Hammer bike. For the price it's pretty good. I would like to be prepared if I cannot find a plug somewhere or charge my bike while I am riding. That's what they taught us in Scouts always be prepared. Well I got extra t u b e s tools to fix the bike. But if I run out of battery and I have no plug that would really not be good especially if you are hundreds of miles from home. And there is no one to pick you up. Not like I will have a crew.
@@reidmartin8469 No, kind of gave up. Everything I read online said that a small panel would add a negligible amount of charge/distance to an ebike. I just went with a larger battery. 🤷♂️
Hey Micah! I'm currently building my first E-Bike, never owned one before. You and your books, and vruzend are a big help to my project, many thanks for that! One other thing though, can you tell me what that headlight is you have on your bike in this video? It looks massive and solid, must be powered from the main battery right? Would love to have something similar, but yet can't find something online. Keep up your good work, you rock!
if the best channels on RUclips informative, professional, to the point minimum rambling lots of help yep up the good work will be using your info to build my ebike will be looking forward to me videos
Hello, I bought the DC to DC converter that you have in this video, and my ebike is the Himiway cruiser 48volt with 1750?amp hour battery. My solar panel claims to be 320 watt panel, the converter reads 3 amp output and the charger for the bike charges at 2 amps. My question is if I charge at 3 amps will it do harm to the batteries? Thanks......Ron
I bought a 325w solar panel and this 900w booster but I didnt see that the solar panel is max 18a and the booster is max input 15a. Do you think this will still work? or will it trip booster or cause something else? Also what happens if this was left connected in the dark? not something I would try but would the flow try to reverse and damage something or is there some kind of diode or some other mech. to stop such an occurance.. thanks for the great vid.
Great video! Thanks for making it easy to follow along. Would love to get my hands on a Kindle version of your solar DYI book. ;). Also any recommendations on a roll up or folding solar panel? Thanks, from snowy Canada.
Hi,I bought your books and I lean lot with these,I have a question,how can I reverse my trike,is it posible to do it with a switch button,please will be highly apreciated,thanks
Thanks for the heads up on the dollar Kindle version. Looking forward to reading it.
I wish people in ebiking were more attuned to products like this DC-DC converter. Around Christmas Amazon had the Drok version for $10, and I bought a couple more. They were scratched, but seem to work. The deal is that this (type) module is the Swiss army knife of lithium batteries, and it's a core DC component. Sure, if you want to buy a $300 charger that does a lot of things, go ahead. But this is cheap and can be adapted. Want to charge to 90%? Just set the voltage to around 4.05 per cell. The only thing I recommend is a timer, maybe a wind up type timer, to end the charging. This module can't sense the drop in current flow that means, under the standard protocol, the charging should end. But hey, with solar, the sun goes down. Folks need to pay attention with manual charging.
People need to forget the lead acid rules. There's no bulk, and there's no maintenance charge. The charge will be at one fixed voltage, and the current will have to be limited in many cases. The voltage rises to the fixed voltage. Lithium is efficient charging, as efficient as the module conversion. Get people into the basics and things can be refined later.
Thanks for getting into Solar! Looking forward to more education and inspiration!!! this was exactly the 'next' direction for me after finishing my e-bike (which I use on good weather days to commute to work 10 miles each way).
Mail your Adresh Please. Cēh. S.V., sukkerfriATrediffDOTcom
Solar is easy to do with a step up type boost MPPT controller
This is how to use an mppt
ruclips.net/video/VjnYeoK6wCo/видео.html
It's better than the dc.dc converter here
Looking forward to incorporating something similar to my trike. Take a look at Log Notching's videos here to see the type canopy I intend to use as a base for the solar panel. Great timing on the book, and subject matter. I am about done reading your second book. I have found both books helpful and informative. Will be ordering the third book today. Congrats on finishing the third book.
Yes but better get a quality step up boost MPPT controller. One with a heat sink case around it.
You're going the way that I want to go :) it's great to find people doing the things that inspire you to go on. I've been a follower for a good while now, and this latest book release settled my decision. Im going to buy all your books. Thanks so much Micah.
Thanks for your support!
it will help the biggest oil importer in world-indian bike industry a lot. good work..
So I could use this same idea with a 20w solar panel to trickle charge my bike as I ride around? Also, could this be used on factory batteries? I.e. a radpower battery? Or does the bms in that battery pack make this impossible
Congrats on getting exposure on Electrek, and for finishing the book!
Thanks!
Just bought a copy. Really enjoyed reading your battery book.
Yeeeaahhh... high expectations on the DIY Solar Power book, I just bought one =]
I have 3 copies of the DIY Lithium Batteries book, great content, I am always lending to friends and they end up buying their own book, awesome content and reference material even for experienced builders.
I am glad to be your friend hahaha.. so much Solar POWEEEEEERR ohh yeaahh =]
skateboard, holding a solar panel, Big hill 100km plus wind. Go show him Aussies do it better.....😂😂😂😂😂😂
So much POWER..... Ha ha ha 😅
Your new book looks great, I can recommend this book to a lot of people and it will save me a lot of time explaining solar.
I will check it out, Thanks
How to calculate charging time?....and one thing to say you are just amazing
Any news on charge time?
Take the watts and time of your mains charger and compare it to the watts you are getting from the solar. My charge station takes 4 hours for 60v (67.2v) battery
ruclips.net/video/VjnYeoK6wCo/видео.html
Normally it's 2x longer for me compared to mains a.c.
love your channel I cam by it after deciding to take on an insane task of building my family each their own recumbent e-bikes with campers and to start planning a trip from MI to CA. we are hoping to have everything built this year and spend a year doing smaller trips and finding and fixing problems in our system before doing the long trip in summer of 2020
Mad sciencetist like Jhugarcia are cool to follow and see the cool stuff they build
But i have to say with they mis clear guidance to rebuild These things but safe !!!
I loved the first baterry book as this guided me to build safe powerpacks
Just ordered the lastest book solar power to take it to the next step !!!!Thanks
So if i would win i would love to complete the series with The Ultimate DIY Ebike Guide
So I have a ebike 36 volt 10.4ah battery I have a 415 km ride I'm doing this summer been looking for daysa way to charge my battery u helped me out so much u would not believe it thank u
I've heard of your book, and stumbled on your channel. Just got a copy of your solar book. 🙂
Love to see that people like you encourage other people self sufficiency in solar energy I have a family bike need to learn a bit to charge our bike battery 👍🏻🙏🏼
It's very easy. But I recommended my customers use a better step up boost MPPT controller like the Elejoy.
What kind of current loss do you get through the DC to DC converter. Output amp and voltage.
My 390 watt mono PV panel with 400 watt step up boost MPPT controller gives me on sunniest days 65.5v (My 60v cut off as I like to charge to 95%) at 5.5A so about 30W lost through the wires and electronics. That's on the strongest sunlight around 1230pm with no clouds.
And it is a slower charge than the stock charger which is a bit too much amperage in my opinion at 10A. Better for the expensive battery to charge slower with solar when not in a rush, or just to top up after shorter rides. I stay in the 20% to 95% most of the time except when I plan a longer 80km ride somewhere.
Thanks I'm going to do this. I'm currently building a power station powered by my bike battery. Ive had some trial and error. I would love to see a video on how to do this the best way.
You forgot to mention that the DC/DC converter need a stable input or otherwise if you set output current to high the input voltage will sag = you will loose power from the solar panel due to that the normal DC/DC converters does not know about the optimal tracking point! Thats one of the reason the MPPT chargers are alot smarter than the cheaper DC/DC converters. Important to know if you want to be able to utilize all from ther solar panel or if your ok with loosing 50% or more ;)
You should build a bike trolly and have the panel on :P
I totally agree.
A suitable MPPT-boost-converter can be bought from China for 35-40 US$.
And yes, I was looking at a solar panel for my bike-trailer, but I considered 100 Wp is still too low for me and I do not have the space to install a bigger panel.
Yes an MPPT converter is definitely more efficient, but at twice the price and the small amount of electricity we're talking about, it could be many years before you actually make the difference in cost back. But it does make the charging go faster, so it just depends which is more important to each user, charging time or cost. The answer is different for everyone.
You could do with a smaller solar cell which will save you more than the extra 15-20 bucks you spend on the MPPT-converter. Smaller also means lighter and easier to carry with you. If you do your maths correctly it is always a question between time and cost, you should however compare systems that deliver the same power overall. More powerful systems are always more expensive.
Gonna try on my Ridekick (powered bike trailer
Love your videos! I purchaces a E bike 2 months ago a M2S R750 fat bike with a 750 watt geared hub rear motor and a 48 volt 16 AH battery. I loved it so much that I just signed a 3 year lease on a Honda PHEV Clarity for half of what I was spending on my gas guzzling MB C300 4matic which was getting about 25mpg on 93 octain! You are a great inspiration! Keep up the good work. Ultimately I want to set up solar panels to offset my higher electricity use and drive on Sun power!!
I enjoyed your battery book and always find your videos informative. I have a 300w 42v solar panel I'd like to charge my 36v lith battery with. Not clear about DC to DC vs. MPPT chargers. When I was wanting to use it to charge my 48v trike I contacted Genasun and they quoted me on a boost controller but it was very pricey. My wife's bike is 36v and I have a trolling motor that is 36v so I'm wanting to maybe convert my trike to 36v to have the greatest flexibility. But it seems I need to down convert my 42v solar panel [at least some of the time] to charge 36v batteries. Maybe you cover such in your book, but I don't have that one. [yet] Thanks
42v is actually the right voltage to charge a 36v battery but you need to know when to stop charging.... google it....
ruclips.net/video/2_toGddS4BA/видео.html
@@henriquecosta2043 that's right. For example I stop my 60V battery at 65V not the full 67.2V.
ruclips.net/video/2_toGddS4BA/видео.html
Hilarious and so informative I kind of overlooked the importance of solar and now need to find your books good job
This is exactly the solution I'm looking for I wonder do they make these that you can buy already made for e-bikes? I just ordered another battery I can probably go 60 miles but if you had a fold-up panel and this for my ebike it would be amazing. I need to learn how to make one of these I know how to solder I took basic electrical house wiring. I like that triangle bag I bought one but it was only 12 in LOL no wonder it was so cheap. To carry things in the middle would keep your weight even. What is the longest distance anybody ever has traveled on a ebike? I would like to go further. it is so much fun riding the e-bike especially when you can't afford insurance and a license
Congrats on the new book.
Great topic. I'm hoping to get into a home solar system in the future.
Just got the kindle version... Looking forward to dig in
Great Idea! I might be buying an E-Bike, and want a way to charge by solar. Thanks for your books and help.
Awesome news! Just finished going through your DIY battery book! You'll be getting a shout out in my next build project series on my channel, be my first large 100% electric power project.
Awesome! When you finish it, send me a clip. Maybe I can give you a shoutout back if it fits!
Thanks Micah, That would be awesome! Will be in touch and watching for your next vid!
HEY YOU 2 THAT DONT LIKE THIS, CAN YOU TELL ME WHY PLEASE ?
Thanks again, I'm up to no good and you have helped me again ;)
Question. I'm about to make a 5000w rear hub. When should we add a circuit breaker to a ebike and where is best place for it to go ????
new book from Amazon tomorrow, DIY LITHIUM BATTERIES on Amazon and eBay, DIY EBIKE book on eBay not Amazon. Paper back copy's...........
From Melbourne Australia.
For $1 it would be dumb not to get the book! Your first two books have already been very helpful to me. I'm looking forward to reading this latest one! :)
Awesome so resourceful. Enjoying watching you and your channel grow man, hope the books are doing well
Thank you. Just what I needed as a back up for hurricane season.
All your books look very use-full. Would be hard to choose witch one to pick if I win.
Good luck to you! Hopefully you'll have to make the tough decision soon!
Hey great video! Can you use this set up for an ebike with 72 volt lead batteries? Would I need to change anything?
ruclips.net/video/VjnYeoK6wCo/видео.html
Hey man. I have the same dcdc converter. Its right now mounted on my bike with a power supply. Just plug in a solar panel direct to the converter and im good to go. Awesome video dude.
Elejoy seem to make the best dc step up ruclips.net/video/VjnYeoK6wCo/видео.html
Got me thinking solar panel on my shed 👍
Hi. I had purchased your lithium battery book from amazon. I had also ordered solar panel book, its in transit.
Congratulations for your new book!
Congratulations for your new book. Also you should write a book about how to build a EV :P.
Does a BMS allow you to charge via the charging cable while simultaneously drawing a load from the output wires. It would be pretty awesome if you had a cargo trailer with a solar panel lid that would charge as you ride.
Yep, definitely!
Google it I saw a lady riding across the US on a E bike towing a solar panel, it works!
I love the DIY LITHIUM BATTERY BOOK!
Thank you, Micah, really looking forward to reading your new book.
I was expecting to see you using an mppt charger instead of a plain boost converter. MPPTs use a solar panel much more effectively.
Hi Micah or anyone else. I bought one of these units with the intention of charging my 48 volt ebike batteries. I have the output voltage set at 54.60 volts and 2.00 amps. My input voltage is 21.1 volts coming in from a 100 watt solar panel. No matter what I do the unit will not put more than 50 volts into a battery so I can never get my battery fully charged with this. Does anyone else have this problem and are there any suggestions? Many thanks for any reply!
Great video. I'll try to apply it ASAP.
Thanks, great video. The cabin in my RV is currently powered by lead acid batteries (4 6-volt golfcart batteries) but I'm considering switching to 36 volt (aka 42 volt) ebike battery packs. I currently have 3 300-watt panels, works great with my existing batteries but they're coming on 6 years old. Do you think this setup would work well for that scenario? Maybe one of these chargers per battery pack? If so, any suggestion on what current I should set it to? My wall wort charger is 2 amps / 42 volts.
ruclips.net/video/2_toGddS4BA/видео.html
It's easy if you get a good hard cased step up boost MPPT controller like the Elejoy 400W model I built a charge station with.
@@ebikecnx7239 mppt are step down, no? Meaning your panel voltage should be higher than your battery voltage? A lot has changed since I wrote the above question though, these days I love lithium iron phosphate batteries for RVs. They last a lot longer and don't have the risk of fire, which is a biggie in an RV.
@@wrybread depends what the panel voltage is...my battery is a 60v Sur Ron (67.2v) and the single panel VOC was around 40V so I used a Elejoy 400W step up boost MPPT controller. Remembering to keep the panel watts below the 400W limit of the MPPT. If you have smaller panels in series say 3 80W panels with 20V outputs then the series would give say 60V and if your battery was say 48V then, yes, in that case use a step down MPPT controller. Elejoy, who I like right now, make both step up and step down. They are very well made and have a heat sink case.
@@wrybread Bike batteries may soon be Lifepo4 for those very reasons. I am waiting for the switch as I too think they are better.
You never cease to amaze me Micah! Thanks for another great, informative video.
Maybe a stupid question, but don't e-bike batteries have an BMS? Do you connect your charge controller directly to the charge port of your e-bike battery? Or do you just connect to the wires comming out of the e-bike battery?
You can actually do all of this by simply using jumper cables, and your battery, and a tree simply put the negative wire into a pole on the ground then put the positive wire as high as you want. Let’s say 8 feet above the ground and you’ll be able to charge your batteries in no matter what size and probably less than 30 minutesand yes, this means you can technically also do the same thing with a Tesla. If you don’t have a fast charger, you can always use trees.
Can't wait to get the new book!
I like ypur book, hope to have it
very cool !
i just bought my first DC to DC converter to start playing with it...
Thanks for the inspiration...
Keep on trucking (from France) !
Bonjour (That's all I know) and good luck with your DC-DC converter. Build something awesome!
Off to look for your new book now.
99 cents! WOOHOO!!!
Would like to know more about solar power and charging lithium battery's there isn't much online and you explain it so everyone can learn thank you
OMG so many books 🤗
Wish I had a house where I could put solar on...
looking at the size of that solar panel with inefficiences might take from 4 to 5 sunny days to charge a 500 watt Ebike batt, assuming sunny all day long,
The problem is that the step up converter will not efficiently convert solar power to charge the battery. Solar panels are expensive and too costly to use the voltage converter you suggest. The more efficient and more cost-effective approach is to use a Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) which is designed to charge the voltage of your lithium battery pack.
Yea a MPPT would be more efficient, but at these low power levels, it would take a ton of charges to make up the extra cost of a MPPT unit. But you're right, you can charge faster with an MPPT charge controller.
MPPTs are almost as inexpensive now. MPPTs are more cost effective if you can buy smaller solar panels.
A suitable MPPT-converter will cost 35-40 US$ when ordered from China.
Even more: for a bike size and weight of the solar panel make all the difference.
A real MPPT converter is not going to be $35. It's a PWM, dude. They are scamming you.
@@TemplarX2 not necessarily true, the MPPT electronics are pretty simple and the eBike step up boost MPPT controllers now available for ebikes are around that price.
Congrats on the book! cant wait to read it!
I'm new on DIY solar and really liked your follow up of the subject, crazy you can do all of that harvesting solar energy. Awesome project!!!
Though would like to know if it's possible to have a smaller panel?
Just bought the book on Amazon.com. Looking forward to reading it. Thanks for another great video.
Great video. I have been wondering about those DC to DC converter. Thanks for clearing up my questions. I always said that someone should make a bracket that covers the rider and gives him shade from the sun and at the same time be a solar panel and charge your batteries as you go. I think for long rides or cross country riders, that would be nice, but I wonder how far it would extend your range?
Also, can it charge your battery while you're riding?
I wish I had your new book about 20 years ago when I did my home set up. I went with a 3,000 watt wind gen on an 84 foot tower with a Trace SW 5548 inverter. I really wish I had gone solar instead, but I have now in my new home. I learned A LOT of lessons my first go around. I also bought nickel iron batteries and will NEVER buy lead acid again. I do have a JD 125kw diesel back up gen set and 10,000 gallons of PRI-D treated fuel, if some thing long term should happen, and the family and I are glad we have this new set up now.
I also have the diesel gen set, set up so it heats domestic hot water as well. I just could not see having all that engine heat going to waste. I'm even considering using a water to air heat ex-changer to dry clothes. A friend of mine does this with his outdoor wood boiler, and it works great and all he needs is a small amount of electricity to run the motor in the dryer. Anyway, keep up the great work.
You will need a big heavy frame and panel. My panel is 390w and is roughly 2m by 1m. The flexible panels never work for very long as they often break by 6 months to a year, so it's hard to do a mobile charger unless you tour from a van with roof panels and a good step up boost MPPT controller.
Hey Micha,
I really enjoy your videos.
Congratulations on the publication of your new book!
Would you answer a question for me? Besides commuting (in warmer weather) I also enjoy going out for day-long or multi day rides. The furthest distance I pressed my battery to was on a 30 mile ride at pedal assist 1. I'd like to increase my range to at least 60 miles but I'm aware that I will have to purchase and use another battery to do so especially since I won't necessarily have enough time to charge fully while on the road. The cost of a new identical replacement is prohibitive, so I've been looking at purchasing another battery to complement the one I have. Presently I have a 48v 13ah, tube mounted battery with a 350 volt rear-drive motor.
I've seen water bottle batteries that look intriguing, but don't know what I should look for or how to connect the battery to my present system. I'd like to get a battery that could boost my distance another 30 miles.
Have you done a video that relates to this issue?
Thanks in advance.
John Szurek
Minnesota
Thank you , you helped me to understand many basic areas on EV context in simple form .
That's awesome!
I love renewable energy too
I wonder if you are supposed to program the DC to DC convertor the same way, whether your batteries are using their own bms or not???
There is a fan on the converter which likely means that it will build up too much heat if you put it into a case that is waterproof or in your waterproof panniers. Does that mean that you can't ride when it rains with this setup?
Also, what is the practical negative consequence of not having that cc-cd feature? Because in the same amazon link, there are also non cc-cd versions that do not have a fan....
So if I am understanding this correctly, this step up converter works like a charge controller, in that it adjusts the current to best charge for the battery-- you just have to set it at the end goal voltage. I have a cheap solar charge controller than I use to charge up and desulfate my lead acid car batteries, and it pumps one volt higher than whatever charge the lead acid battery is holding at the time. Would this work something like that? I may have to watch that segment again. ( approx: 1:12- 2:00). Or buy the booster and test it!
Mica
How long would it take to charge a 36v 12 amp bike battery using your system?
12 amphr. Not 12 amp. About 4 to 6 hrs charging with about 2 amps at 40-42 V from the converter.
sure would like a book...
Hi and thank you very much for your videos. How do i chose the right solar panel ?i want to charge a 36 volt 20Ah battery. i understand the voltage but what about the Amp out of the solar panel?i see there are several different 100W solar panels. do i need to match the amps of my grid charger?
Wanna learn more about solar charger for e bike very interested in building or buying one
Great video! I have already installed 2 X 130W solar panels to my motor home so have an abundance of power - in theory, I should be able to connect this DC -DC converter to my motor home leisure battery to charge my 13S 5P 48V Lithium e-bike batteries. This would entail making a fused connection to the device input terminals and setting up for a 12.7V input, then connecting a lead with XLR connector to connect to my e-bike battery with output set at 54.6V and current limited to 3A. Am I missing something or is this correct. I am a keen DIY'er but certainly not an electronics expert. Would be really pleased to hear the views of those in the know.
Hi there. How can you charge up an 48V lithium battery from a 12V deep cycle leisure battery without an inverter?
This is cool. I’m not smart on electricity/power requirements, but could this be used to charge multiple like scooters at once? I’m looking at charging 6-10 at once while at work in my truck. Thanks!
Can you charge while using it at the same time ? By using external battery pack to dc dc converter and then to main battery pack?
Feeding the mind, to nourish the Soul! Great vid
How long would you say the charge time is from empty to full charge for an e-bike?
I would like to havr DIY solar book. Thanks more power
I have a question? The question is.... would it be faster to charge an e-bike with a hundred and twenty volt converter? Like a jackery or something way lighter? I want to go on an adventure I have three batteries which equal out to 60 miles or more if I go slow it is hard to Pedal with one leg but I'm going to. I really need one of these to fulfill my crazy dream of riding the Erie Canal Trail 500 Mi to New York City
They came up with a new word for people on e-bikes it is called range anxiety well if you can p e d a l it wouldn't be that bad but right now I'm just getting used to my fake leg so I can barely pedal. I have an ecotric Hammer bike. For the price it's pretty good. I would like to be prepared if I cannot find a plug somewhere or charge my bike while I am riding. That's what they taught us in Scouts always be prepared. Well I got extra t u b e s tools to fix the bike. But if I run out of battery and I have no plug that would really not be good especially if you are hundreds of miles from home. And there is no one to pick you up. Not like I will have a crew.
can you leave the circuit plugged in at night? ill gues there is a leak current out of the battery but verry small? there is a diode in the circuit?
Do you have a recommendation for a portable, folding solar panel that would be suitable to carry on an ebike?
Hi Steven,
any luck with finding a folding solar panel for an ebike?
@@reidmartin8469 No, kind of gave up. Everything I read online said that a small panel would add a negligible amount of charge/distance to an ebike. I just went with a larger battery. 🤷♂️
Steven Vidaurri thanks. Yes that is what I am seeing also. Seems like a spare battery is the way to go. The solar panels are also very heavy.
Hey Micah! I'm currently building my first E-Bike, never owned one before. You and your books, and vruzend are a big help to my project, many thanks for that! One other thing though, can you tell me what that headlight is you have on your bike in this video? It looks massive and solid, must be powered from the main battery right? Would love to have something similar, but yet can't find something online.
Keep up your good work, you rock!
Sure thing, thanks for your support. Here's the headlight s.click.aliexpress.com/e/jIUZr3b
Thanks a lot!
if the best channels on RUclips informative, professional, to the point minimum rambling lots of help yep up the good work will be using your info to build my ebike will be looking forward to me videos
3:24was awesome vintage rare video carrying solar panel 😉👌
What kind of lithium batteries are recommended for building the lithium pack. And for long life.
Great. That looks super simple.
Hello, I bought the DC to DC converter that you have in this video, and my ebike is the Himiway cruiser 48volt with 1750?amp hour battery. My solar panel claims to be 320 watt panel, the converter reads 3 amp output and the charger for the bike charges at 2 amps. My question is if I charge at 3 amps will it do harm to the batteries? Thanks......Ron
I bought a 325w solar panel and this 900w booster but I didnt see that the solar panel is max 18a and the booster is max input 15a. Do you think this will still work? or will it trip booster or cause something else? Also what happens if this was left connected in the dark? not something I would try but would the flow try to reverse and damage something or is there some kind of diode or some other mech. to stop such an occurance.. thanks for the great vid.
bought your new book to support you. keep up the good work
Thank you!
Great video! Thanks for making it easy to follow along. Would love to get my hands on a Kindle version of your solar DYI book. ;). Also any recommendations on a roll up or folding solar panel? Thanks, from snowy Canada.
how does the dc/dc converter turn off when the battery is fully charged?
how much current are you losing to step the voltage up tho, this sounds plausable but how much current will you be getting on the output
I have copies of your other two books. This new book looks great.
Does it tell you how to install solar power to run your whole house ?
Thanks for your support! And yes it does.
Nice video & cool project! Any idea on charging time?
Thanks for Sharing Mica . Very Nicely done.
Will this work for a 48v lead acid scooter battery? Thanks!
Looking forward to more like this.
Hi,I bought your books and I lean lot with these,I have a question,how can I reverse my trike,is it posible to do it with a switch button,please will be highly apreciated,thanks
I like it.. I want to know how to build solar ebike charger
Any chapter covering Organic Solar panals in your DIY Solar book?
Ordering book now.
i have a ebike thats 48v 14.4ah li-ion battery 350w rear hub motor will any portable station work?